Samsara

Ron Fricke has spent his career making non-narrative visual essays exploring themes contrasting the alienation of modern life with the serenity of spiritual existence. Shot over the course of nearly five years across five continents on 70mm film, Samsara recalls a touchstone in the genre, 1982's Koyannisqatsi, which Fricke himself photographed. Similarly, Samsara (the title is a Tibetan word meaning "the wheel of life") features no narration or story, merely a succession of images of contemplation and natural beauty set against snapshots of urban culture, all backed by hypnotic, cyclical music. Scenes in a Buddhist monastery and shots capturing the elemental power of an erupting volcano are juxtaposed with looks at the mechanization of food preparation and the impersonal rush of urban crowds and city streets at night. It's a stunning film—like a new age travelogue with majestic landscapes and awesome images of human activity—that makes for an impressive spectacle on the big screen, but on video plays more like a coffee table book in motion, a visual symphony that features some of the most amazing movie images caught on film while presenting a rather simpleminded perspective on life in balance and a soft new age spiritualism. Likely to appeal to fans of non-narrative cinema, this is a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a six-part behind-the-scenes featurette (49 min.) and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this eye candy opus.] (S. Axmaker)